THE SO-CALLED THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AT GHAZIPORE

[Indian Mirror, August 22, 1882]

SIR—Notwithstanding our protest that there is no Theosophical Society at Ghazipore, I am surprised to find that, in your issue of the 10th instant, you have, without a single comment, allowed the following paragraph in your Ghazipore correspondent’s letter of the 17th ultimo, to appear:
“Monsieur H. Ropan, a Frenchman and a good German scholar, induced by the examples of Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott, has founded a Theosophical Society at the premises of Babu L. N. Sen.”
It has already been explained that no charter was granted, nor was any regular application for it received by us, for the formation of a Branch Society at Ghazipore. And no Society can assume the title which exclusively belongs to us. According to the laws of every civilized country, no one has a right to assume the title or name of any society of scientific or philosophical research, without the consent of the original promoters. A letter to this effect was sent to Mr. Ropan as soon as the protest was forwarded to you. The President and Secretary of the alleged Society have since sent a letter of apology begging for a charter, and the matter will formally be placed for consideration before the President-Founder in Council of our Society. But until we send you an intimation of the formation of a Branch Society at Ghazipore, we have to request you will be kind enough not to publish any such paragraphs, as the one above referred to, without first ascertaining whether the information contained therein is correct or not. It was not, I believe, too much for us to expect that the Secretary of the Calcutta Theosophical Society, at least who does, if not the Editor

Page 188

of the Indian Mirror, who perhaps does not, know the facts of the case—should have protested against such an unceremonious intrusion of an unknown party of men into the privacy of our Society. Not only is its name usurped by them, but, as we find to our astonishment, our bye-laws, regulations, aims, objects, in fact, everything is copied verbally, to a comma, from our pamphlets, and—a notification is sent to our headquarters that, since a charter was not issued to them, they had, at the first opportunity, established a Theosophical Society, entirely independent of our Association!
Unless the President-Founder, who is now at Ceylon, consents to charter it, and the now bogus Theosophical Society waits patiently for legal admission, I am afraid we shall have to ask for the protection of the law. There is some consolation, however, to know that not one of the self-made Ghazipore Theosophists has ever been initiated, and that, since none of them knows either the grips, signs, or passwords of our Society, there is little chance for them to be ever recognized and accepted by a regular Theosophist.
Yours, etc.,
H. P. BLAVATSKY,
Corresponding Secretary, Parent Theosophical Society.
Bombay, 16th August, 1882.

––––––––––